Death of the Dead

The trailer for "Death of the Dead" is out. Worth a look:
> > Death of the Dead

If you like it, become a fan:
> > StrangeStuff

Screenwriting Foxhole

I just joined "Screenwriting Foxhole," and if any of you folks come on over, I want you to know that my criticism of Avatar is simply the observations of an interested fan. In discussing the film, Cameron should be held to the highest of standards. He did, after all, have the cred and the budget and the resources.

And I do like the look of his creation for reasons wonderfully expressed in: Luminous 3-D Jungle Is a Biologist’s Dream in The New York Times. He just came up short in the story. Not much of a good example for screenwriters who depend on plot and character development.

I'll still see Avatar again.

Made for Each Other

Wow! I finally saw Made for Each Other. Great cast, including Chris and Danny Masterson, Patrick Warburton, George Segal, Bijou Phillips, Lauren German, Marnie Schulenburg, Ginger Kroll, Michael Lee Gogin, Samm Levine, Kyle Howard, Debargo Sanyal and the hilarious Leslie Hendrix.

I've watched it maybe seven times. Joanne once or twice--including the whole movie during dinner last night. You can catch it on Charter, Comcast, Cox and Time-Warner.

We did it via web connection. Blown-up full screen on a 17-in iMac, it's acceptable--when viewed from about 5 feet. Joanne thought it was a bit corny, but I loved it. A definite DVD buy when it comes out!

I'm in every scene at Roscoe's Wing Bar, by the way, in red, blue and black shirts (for the different nights of action--I was a true Roscoe's regular! My kind of bar--although I generally go for the legs rather than the wings.) Actually, in the reconciliation scene, I played two different wings regulars, as is apparent when you see me in both the blue and the black shirts! (You only see the back of my head and shoulders from a distance in the shots with the black shirt).

You'll also catch me in the final "second wedding" scene--far right of screen in long pan wearing silver-grey suit. Patrick Warburton was the rabbi, which I absolutely missed at the time. And it played off an earlier, inside joke at about 40:50:

"The man once became an ordained rabbi for a 3-line student film--went to rabbinical school and everything." - Mack's Assistant (Debargo Sanyal)

That line really resonated, after some of my own attempts to "become the role," including the terrible hair-dye disaster for the ill-fated Julio audition. Or my upcoming audition as a pirate for Not in Ohio. The line gave me the final resolve to shave my head:



"Face it, Will, you say you'll never be a pirate, but you're off to a rip-roaring start" - Cap'n Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean (Curse of the Black Pearl)--first script.

Anyone need another biker zombie?

Fearmakers

Just became a follower of the Fearmakers blog. This is the group that turned me into a full-time zombie. Okay, I'd done "I Am Legend," but wasn't fully committed to the zombie role as a career choice. But Fearmakers (or actually the low-budget, micro-division of Fearmakers: Strange Stuff Productions) came to West CleveTown in November (2009) for filming of "Death of the Dead." The first week of filming was at a martial arts studio in Westlake as part of a zombie herd. The following week at a biker bar in Barberton as "The Old Man." Don't I look the part?


The gorgeous gal is Christina Rose, with credits including Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, Deadheads, all My Children, and the exotic dancer in Jukka (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3010903/).

Of course it's filmed out of narrative sequence, so in the scene filmed in Westlake the week before, I was infected with the zombie strain. Can't wait to see the film--trailer should be out soon.